ottawa foodies

Having trouble finding authentic Halifax donair sauce in the Ottawa area? Well no more! check out www.thepepperoniguy.com

It's for sale in Carleton Place.... at a beautiful store on highway 7 called The Cheddar Stop.....

That's funny, (or should I say 'shilly') but my sister and I were just talking a day or so back about donairs and how important the sauce is to the whole donair experience. We're both from NS, and know that they've got the good stuff out there.

We wondered where the best donair place in Ottawa would be, then we also talked about how now even though we luuuuv donairs, we'd have a hard time eating one and feeling ok about it. The negative side effects of organic farming no one talks about: eating only homegrown organic foods causes you to be leery of store bought meats… ;-)

Anyone know how to make their own donair meat?

I have used the recipes on this site before with success. It's been a few years since I've had a real donair but these are close enough to satisfy the craving.

www.cfa.harvard.edu

You can make a pretty decent donair meat with ground beef, spices and cooking it under weight. I'm also from NS. ;) When doing it yourself in the oven, the most important part is to let it cool completely after cooking, before shaving/slicing pieces off and pan-frying them. :)

I've a decent recipe around here somewhere..

refashionista - the recipe is in my black cook book ...

I like the donairs at King Shawarma in Orleans. Hits the spot (if you're willing to deal with the guy's miserable sons/nephews/whatever).

It's gotta be 230am and you gotta be really drunk to fully appreciate a good donair.

My hubby lived in Halifax for a while and this is his recipe.
I have cooked it on the BBQ with good results and sometimes I don't bother making 3 balls but just 1 big loaf.

Meat

2 pounds ground beef
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp cayenne OR 1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup bread crumbs
Salt to taste

Sweet Garlic Sauce:
6 oz can evaporated milk
1½ oz white sugar
½ tsp garlic powder
Whip together and add 2 Tbsp white vinegar. Add 1-2 tsp flour and cook until thick.

Directions:
Combine all spices, bread crumbs to meat. Knead just like making bread. Be sure to work hamburg well.
Shape into 3 balls. Press together firmly. Bake on a rack.
Do not cover. Bake at 300 for 2 hours. Turn over after 1 hour.

Meat can be frozen before OR after baking.

Feeling very inspired right now - with an upcoming baby on the way and a deep freezer full of ground beef, I think I'll whip up a batch of this stuff for quick meals when I'm at home with the newborn! Mmm... donair...

MMMMmmmmm ...... The Halifax Donair Experience

www.ottawafoodies.com

But some East Coasters are not proud of such a thing. They may even call it "Stinky ground beef and cheap garlic sauce."

ottawafoodies.com

And my response. I sometimes LOVE stinky ground beef and cheap garlic sauce.And like Hungry Pete ... best at 230am while tanked.

www.ottawafoodies.com

I also like the stink that comes out of my pores the following day.

Re: stinky pores
My mother was not a fan.

Maritime Donair sauce is dead simple to make. A good friend of mine used to work at the main donair place in Wolfville and he gave it to me once. Of course I can't remember it exactly but it is basically sugar, condensed milk, and one other thing mixed to the right proportions.

Oh, god. Now I'm craving a Pizza Delight donair.
A large one, please.
With a moose.

Here's the recipe we use:

Donair Meat
-----------

5 lbs ground beef
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp oregano
1 Cup bread crumbs
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp salt

Mix together well in large bowl. Pack tightly into 9" square
pan. Bake at 350F for 1 hr. Cool, drain fat, then shave
meat.

When making the meat, I often put something heavy on top of it.

Donair Sauce
------------

2/3 Cup canned condensed milk
2/3 Cup white sugar
1/4 Cup white vinegar

Blend sugar and vinegar in blender. Slowly add milk until
mixture has a creamy thick texture.

Fry shaved meat in pan until edges are crispy. Wrap in
flat bread and add chopped lettuce, tomato, cucumber and
dressing.

I will full cop to having made the donair meat and passed it off as "donair meatloaf" because I couldn't be bothered to present it in wraps as donairs. ;)

A dear departed friend of mine used to refer, gleefully, to the sauce as "buzzard snot."

I found that sauce at the Sobeys on March Rd! I love it, but don't head out there that often. They have Baconnaise, too.

I like Romeo's Pizza donairs in Nepean.

Not too sure how "authentic" they are, but the place has been around at least 40 years and is the only donair I like so far.

They have garlic sauce, but I like sweet and sour sauce en'tbetter and they have amazing walnut baklava that is sold out most of the time.

every time I would order pizza they were sold out half the time...
I haven't eaten at Romeo's in a year or two, but will have to make a special trip to nepean soon just for that...

Address: 1580 Merivale Rd, Nepean, ON K2G 4B5, Canada
Phone:+1 613-225-6440

Romeo's Donair:

I visited Romeos for the a follow-up, 20 years since I last had the donair. It was bought from the original owner Mike 10 years ago by an asian couple, but the sweet sauce hasn't changed one bit. I swear to God the greasepaint drawing of the chef on the door hasn't even been smudged in 40 years. For a treat, ask for the donair pizza smothered in sweet sauce, and then retire for a six day nap.